"In my formative years I was completely taken by this combination of low life, stage pantomime and romantic twizzle. Jean-Louis Barrault, Etienne Decroux, Arletty and Pierre Brasseur on the boulevard of crime. Now, in my dotage, I like it more than ever."

"In black and white, made in 1940 by Sir Carol Reed, who of course also did The Third Man, Odd Man Out, Oliver!, etc. Night Train to Munich is a witty and quite gripping thriller. Intricate and romantic with very amusing performances."

"What’s insane about Nora Ephron is that her journalism is as incisive as her comedy is sharp; her recipes as delicious as her profiles astute; her love of romantic comedies as pure as her screenplays heartwarming. She is a shrewd, funny, charming companion."

"“Out of all of David Lynch’s films this one is my favourite, along with Blue Velvet. I especially love his use of songs by Elvis. The closing scene of the film is so romantic and always makes me go weak at the knees.”"

"This book would probably be shunned today. Even though Humbert Humbert is clearly a villain, the very subject of pedophilia is now considered too transgressive. But Nabokov had to reach far in order to redeem the romantic novel, which had become trite."

"I could watch the work of Wong Kar-wai (and the brilliant cinematographer Christopher Doyle) all day long. I don’t have to understand what’s going on . . . I don’t care. Beautiful people, photographed beautifully. His films are the best, most romantic out there."